Award recognizes Turner for outstanding research and career mentorship to Mechanical Engineering graduate students

Kimberly Turner, professor and chair of the Mechanical Engineering department at UCSB, was recently awarded the Outstanding Graduate Mentor Award by the Academic Senate.
The award for Outstanding Graduate Mentor Award is given in recognition
of the contributions of faculty who offer exemplary mentoring of their
graduate students, which is a vital component of the mission of a
research university.

Graduate student mentoring includes
training graduate students for careers in research and teaching and
preparing them to meet the highest professional and ethical standards as
scholars and educators. Mentoring of graduate students is in addition
to a professor’s other obligations, such as teaching, research, and
service to the university.

Professor Kimberly Turner is current chair and has been a member of the
faculty in the Department of Mechanical Engineering since in 1999.
While rising quickly first to Associate Professor (in 2004) and then to
full Professor (2008), Professor Turner has earned a reputation as an
outstanding educator and researcher. From the outset, her excellent
advising of graduate students has also distinguished her as an
extraordinary mentor. She has chaired 15 PhD and 3 Masters committees,
and she currently support 6-8 PhD candidates. She has served as a
committee member for another 25 PhD candidates and two Masters students.

Professor Turner is known to be a dedicated advisor who places a
high value on time spent personally developing the research and
professional skills of her students. One of her students offers the
following personal testimonial: "While many graduate students come in
with plans and ideas, I started off timidly, unsure of my place and how
to form a research plan. Dr. Turner demystified grad school for me,
which was no small task. By meeting with her every week and discussing
my ideas, I slowly gained the confidence to formulate my own research
questions and methods."

Several of Professor Turner’s supporters make note of the
collaborative and cooperative atmosphere of her research group. One of
her students writes that "[Professor] Turner strongly encourages her
students to work together and to make good use of each other’s
intelligence. She believes a good team player is one of the most
important keys to success."

Finally, many of her letters of support make particular mention of
the diversity of her research groups and specifically the proportion of
female students. One of her students comments, "She actively encourages
diversity within our group, in particular by recruiting women and
non-traditional students, creating a more balanced work environment that
benefits all of us; an emphasis on collaboration among the group helps
each of us feel like a valued member of the team." Another writes, "As a
female graduate student in the College of Engineering, I can say that
having a strong female mentor is invaluable; Dr. Turner has more than
fulfilled this role from the very beginning, helping me navigate both
academic and work-environment obstacles with grace."

For her dedication and exemplary mentorship of graduate students
Professor Kimberly Turner is awarded an Outstanding Graduate Mentor
Award. Congratulations, Professor Turner!